AGING WELL IN EMERGENCY MEDICINE INTEREST GROUP
Newest Interest Group: Aging Well in Emergency Medicine! Marianne Haughey, MD FAAEM
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t is with the greatest of pleasure that we are here to announce the newest AAEM interest group, Aging Well in Emergency Medicine (AWiEMIG). At the most recent AAEM meeting several of us realized there were life and work concerns that we felt might best be handled with sharing information we had each learned. In the same way that there are specific topic areas that are of particular interest to the young physician section, we identified issues and concerns that are specific to aging well within our specialty. During subsequent online meetings we further defined our vision and mission. We plan on regular AWEMIG meetings, which will be held on the third Wednesday at 7:00pm ET, every other month. All AAEM members are welcome, as we recognize that the issues we noted don’t necessarily have an absolute age limit, but in fact can affect different people at different times of life. Vision: The AAEM Aging Well in EM Interest Group will be the “go-to” source of information useful to emergency physicians of all ages as they advance through their lives and careers and encounter new challenges. Mission: The Mission of the AAEM Aging Well in EM Interest Group will be to inform AAEM members regarding available career adaptations and/or transitions to accommodate and maximize their personal and career satisfaction, toward enhancing members’ health and wellness. Membership will be open to any AAEM member who wishes to leverage the experience and advice of successful late-career physicians toward a more rewarding future. Areas of Focus—Work Groups, Leads
As a group, we identified several areas of concern that can affect the wellness of emergency physicians (generally) as they enter the second half of their career. Financial planning. Education is needed about the financial concerns as one enters retirement. How doers one draw down from retirement funds? How much is needed to retire comfortably? What other financial issues need to be addressed? How about issues regarding estate planning? What are the tax implications of drawing from retirement accounts? Career transition. How can a practicing EM physician effectively and with planning step away from one role to another—perhaps still within the department or perhaps in hospital administration or at the medical school? How can succession and transfer of important information to the successor best be achieved? Or perhaps a career transition will be to another clinical venue, like telemedicine, obesity medicine, wound care, or mission/international work. Another option is to transition outside of medicine to something completely different. What are effective strategies others have used to transition? What creative approaches and options for transitions we could all learn from that others have considered or done? Illness and caregiving for family members. Illness in those around us is not limited to any particular age group, but the challenges of caregiving can certainly become more common as we add decades to our lives. Ill or frail parents, spouses, or family members can put strain and stress into anyone’s life. If you add the challenges of an emergency medicine schedule it can seem overwhelming. How have others in AAEM managed these challenges? What tips might they have to share?
The interest group discussed areas of focus and named the following work groups with leadership:
Financial Planning Dr. Gaddis and Dr. Pabalan (Work Group Leads) Transitioning in Career Dr. Hoyer and Dr. Haughey (Work Group Leads) Challenges with Heath Issues/ Caregiving of Family Members Dr. Barata (Work Group Lead) Challenges - Adult Children with Special Needs Dr. Swisher (Work Group Lead) How to Leave a Legacy: Mentorship and How It Helps Resilience Dr. Peter Gruber and Dr. Josh Silverberg (Work Group Leads) Health and Wellness Dr. David Crutchfield (Work Group Lead) We had a lovely small gathering of those who also attended MEMC and are planning another in person meeting for the Scientific Assembly in New Orleans.
Planning for adult children with special needs. Not all children seamlessly make the transition from childhood to college to living alone. What type of planning tips can others in the group help suggest? What considerations about where the adult child lives, works, has financial and medical support need to be considered? What legal planning is important and what are trusts? We would like to collect and promote resources for AAEM members for whom this information would be useful.
COMMON SENSE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023
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